U.S. Attorney General to Allow Police Depts to Keep the Number of Citizens they Kill a Secret

Washington, DC – In complete reversal of course from the stated position of her predecessor, Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the federal government shouldn’t mandate police departments to report lethal shootings of civilians.

“I’ve heard from a number of people who have called on policymakers to ensure better record-keeping on injuries and deaths that occur at the hands of police. I’ve also spoken with law enforcement leaders – including the leadership of the Fraternal Order of Police – who have urged elected officials to consider strategies for collecting better data on officer fatalities. Today, my response to these legitimate concerns is simple: We need to do both.”

The about-face by Lynch reveals an utter contempt for the civil rights of American citizens while pandering to the Fraternal Order of Police’s default position.

“One of the things we are focusing on at the Department of Justice is not trying to reach down from Washington and dictate to every local department how they should handle the minutia of record keeping, but we are stressing to them that these records must be kept,” she said at the Washington Ideas Forum, hosted by AtlanticLIVE and the Aspen Institute.

Lynch’s implication that she is attempting to uphold state’s rights is a completely ridiculous notion that has absolutely no validity in reality. Furthermore, “stressing how records must be kept” is akin to asking really nicely, as the records are given to the Department of Justice, by police agencies, on a completely voluntary basis currently.

Man arrested for allegedly kidnapping girl, holding her for 10 years

Santa Ana police arrested a Bell Gardens man on suspicion of kidnapping and rape after he allegedly abducted a 15-year-old girl a decade ago and held her hostage, forcing her to marry him and have his child.

Isidro Garcia was arrested Tuesday after his alleged victim reached out to her sister on Facebook and revealed how she been held hostage in a relationship with the 41-year-old man and had given birth to his child during the decade she vanished.

Isidro Garcia was arrested Tuesday after his alleged victim reached out to her sister on Facebook. (Santa Ana Police Department)

Santa Ana police say the girl’s mother reported her missing in August 2004. The mother told police her daughter went missing, along with her live-in boyfriend, Garcia, after a domestic violence incident.

Protesters descend on Albuquerque City Hall to decry deadly shootings

Published time: April 08, 2014 03:59

Downtown Albuquerque (Photo from wikipedia.org)

Protesters filled Albuquerque City Hall on Monday evening, forcing the city council to clear its legislative agenda and turn the podium over to citizens furious with police over a spiking number of fatal shootings.

City Council President Ken Sanchez told the Albuquerque Journal that more police officers would be assigned to make sure the meeting was peaceful, and that the meeting would be adjourned if tempers flared, but said the council is mulling legislation that would create more oversight over the department.

“We need to make some dramatic changes,” he said. “We’re confronting a crisis situation at this time.”

Tension have been building between police and the public for years. Wynema and Michael Gonzagowski told Cindy Carcamo of the Los Angeles Times that, upon moving to Albuquerque, friends warned them to avoid the police. They did not take those warnings seriously until they watched police fatally shoot their neighbor, Alfred Lionel Redwine on March 25.

“I’ve never been scared of crops, but out here, the cops terrify me,” said Michael, age 39. “They treat you like you’re out looking to cause trouble every time they talk to you.”

Chief Eden said in a press conference that Redwine brandished a weapon and shot at police during a standoff at a public housing complex, forcing the officers to return fire. Wynemda Gonzagowski disagreed, telling the Times that Redwine had surrendered to police with his arms out when he was hit.

“They didn’t warn him, they didn’t tell him to freeze and get on the ground or to put his hand behind his hand,” she said.

Riot police clashed with protestors in Albuquerque, N.M. who were angry over police violence. In response to the March 16 shooting and killing of a homeless man, the protests started peacefully but later became violent as night came. Heavily armed riot police using tear gas and batons forcefully ended the protests. Lindsay France speaks with RT’s Ramon Galindo about the problematic record of the Albuquerque Police Department leading up to the protests.

A protest over deadly police shootings turned from peaceful into “mayhem”, Albuquerque’s mayor said late on Sunday, as officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators.

People are angry over Albuquerque police’s involvement in 37 shootings, 23 of them fatal, since 2010. Critics say that is far too many for a department serving a city of about 555,000.

The US Justice Department has been investigating the department for more than a year, looking into complaints of civil rights violations and allegations of excessive use of force.

Alexander Siderits, 23, said he was participating in the protest because he was “fed up” with how police treat citizens. “It has reached a boiling point, and people just can’t take it anymore,” he said.

An Associated Press reporter saw gas canisters being thrown and Albuquerque police and Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputies charging at the crowds, which had mostly dispersed by late Sunday.

Mayor Richard Berry said one police officer was injured, and at one point protesters trapped police in a vehicle and tried to break the windows, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

A day after hundreds of people clashed with Albuquerque riot officers over police shootings, New Mexico’s governor said Monday that she understands the public’s frustration but called on protesters to remain calm while US officials investigate.

Mayor Richard Berry said Monday that one officer twisted his knee but no protesters were hurt during the 12-hour demonstration on Sunday, despite the use of tear gas on the crowd. Four people were arrested in the melee, police chief Gorden Eden said Monday.

Berry said officials monitoring events from an emergency operations center decided to use the gas after some people walked onto a freeway, endangering themselves. Eden says people laid down on the highway.

On Sunday, protesters marching back and forth between downtown and the University of New Mexico blocked traffic, tried to topple street signs and called for the police chief and other city officials to resign, authorities said.

Governor Susana Martinez watched the protests on television.

“Albuquerque is going through a tough time, and they’ll figure it out through the investigation,” the governor said. “We want that to be thorough. We want confidence in the investigation, but I just don’t want to see anyone harmed.”

Police chief vows reforms after violent protest

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press

Updated 8:29 pm, Monday, March 31, 2014

Riot police launch tear gas toward activists in downtown Albuquerque, N.M. following a 10-hour protest around the city, Sunday, March 30, 2014. Hundreds of protesters marched past riot police in Albuquerque on Sunday, days after a YouTube video emerged threatening retaliation for a recent deadly police shooting. The video, which bore the logo of the computer hacking collective Anonymous, warned of a cyberattack on city websites and called for the protest march. Photo: Russell Contreras, AP

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A day after a protest over Albuquerque police shootings devolved into violence, the city’s new police chief on Monday commended officers for showing restraint and said he is about to unveil reforms that include changes to the embattled department’s recruiting process.

Chief Gorden Eden spoke to reporters after more than 300 people took to the streets Sunday, calling for him and other city officials to resign. The protest turned violent that evening, when people began hunting down officers, throwing rocks and bottles, and spitting on officers, he said.

The chief says officials decided to disperse the crowd with tear gas after a man pulled out an AK-47, others blocked traffic by lying down on Interstate 25 and unruly crowds trapped people and officers in cars. Protesters also started attacking each other, impeded emergency crews and blocked the entrance to a hospital.

There was only one minor injury, an officer who hurt his knee, Eden said. Four protesters were arrested during the 12-hour demonstration.

Justin Elder, 24, followed the protest as a passenger in a car and held a sign that read, “APD: Dressed To Kill.”

“That’s what this police force is about,” Elder said.

Sunday’s protest and another last week were in response to the 37 shootings Albuquerque police have been involved in since 2010, 23 of them fatal, including the recent case of a homeless camper killed after he appeared to be surrendering. By comparison, police in the similarly sized cities of Denver and Oakland have been involved in fatal and non-fatal shootings totaling 27 and 23, respectively.

After pulling over a speeding police officer, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Donna Jane Watts says she was harassed and threatened by other cops.

MIAMI — Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Donna Jane Watts was on routine patrol early one morning when a Miami police car whizzed past at speeds that would eventually top 120 mph. Even with her blue lights flashing and siren blaring, it took Watts more than seven minutes to pull the speeder over.

Not certain who was behind the wheel, she approached the car warily, with gun drawn, according to video from her cruiser’s dashboard camera. “Put your hands out of the window! Right now!” she yelled. It turned out the driver was Miami Police Department officer Fausto Lopez, in full uniform. Watts holstered her gun but still handcuffed him and took his weapon.

“I apologize,” Lopez said, explaining that he was late for an off-duty job.

“You were running 120 miles an hour!” Watts barked back.

That October 2011 confrontation made national headlines and eventually got Lopez fired. But Watts’ actions involving a fellow officer didn’t sit well with many in law enforcement, and not long after she made that traffic stop, she says, the harassment began. Random telephone calls on her cell phone. Some were threats and some were prank calls, including orders for pizza. Unfamiliar vehicles and police cars sat idling in her cul-de-sac. She was afraid to open her mailbox.

Watts suspected her private driver’s license information was being accessed by fellow officers, so she made a public records request with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It turned out she was right: over a three-month period, at least 88 law enforcement officers from 25 different agencies accessed Watts’ driver’s license information more than 200 times, according to her lawyer.

Law enforcement officers have long been known to band together and protect each other, but Watts said in her lawsuit that these actions went too far.

Police in Salinas, California are under fire after the department acquired a heavily armored military vehicle for SWAT team operations.

The $650,000 vehicle was gifted to the Salinas Police Department from the government through the 1033 program, which redistributes used equipment to other agencies. According to KSBW, the truck was used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to numerous outlets, police stated their SWAT team was in desperate need of a new vehicle. KSBW added that the new truck, built to withstand rifle fire and minefield explosions, has already aided officers looking to arrest a dangerous suspect. The individual was apparently spotted via the vehicle’s high observation deck.

While Police Chief Kelly McMillin believes the vehicle “provides a high capability of protection for our officers and the community,” other members of the community have been outspoken in their disagreement.

Posting on the police department’s Facebook page, citizens criticized the acquisition as excessive, as well as a sign of the militarization of law enforcement.

“That vehicle is made for war,” wrote one commenter. “Do not use my safety to justify that vehicle,” another one wrote. “The Salinas Police Department is just a bunch of cowards that want to use that vehicle as intimidation and to terrorize the citizens of this city.”

Texas woman strip-searched and put to jail for overdue ticket

A Richland Hills, TX woman was arrested, forced to strip down for a search, and jailed because she failed to pay a traffic ticket on time.

In August, Sarah Boaz was cited for running a stop sign, only to lose the ticket shortly afterwards. Two months later, the Richland Hills City Marshal was waiting for her at home with handcuffs.

Boaz acknowledged that it was wrong for her to wait so long to pay the ticket, but expressed frustration over what happened next: She was cuffed by the marshal, taken to jail, and told to remove her clothing for a search by a female police officer.

According to the local CBS 11 News station, Boaz recalled the officer saying, “’I’m going to need you to undress. I’m going to need you to stand against the wall. Please don’t step in front of this white box, or I’ll take that’… aggressive toward me.”

As the article points out, a statement by the Richland Hills Police Department to CBS 11 News explained that stripping down individuals brought to jail was standard procedure, and that it does not consider the practice a strip search.

She lost the ticket. She figured a new one would be sent, or that she’d receive some kind of notice in the mail. She expected to pay some kind of late fee or penalty.

What she didn’t expect was to find the Richland Hills City Marshal waiting at her Texas home with an arrest warrant last Wednesday morning.

Boaz was handcuffed and brought to jail, where a female officer started giving her instructions. She was not prepared for what happened next:

“I’m going to need you to undress. I’m going to need you to stand against the wall. Please don’t step in front of this white box, or I’ll take that as aggressive toward me,” said the officer.

“Obviously I am going to jail. I guess it was just frustrating to me, that a bill that I pay a month late, I end up in jail for,” Boaz said.

She said she knows it was wrong not to pay the ticket right away, but didn’t expect to be picked up and taken to jail.

Attorney Jason Smith told CBS 11 News that there’s nothing that requires the city to put people in jail:

“The constitution doesn’t keep the government or government officials from not using common sense. Unfortunately, some police officers, some governments get overly aggressive because they want that ticket revenue.”

Strip searches are a common procedure in jails, despite controversy and lawsuits over the practice.

Albert Florence was in the passenger seat of his car when his wife was pulled over for speeding in 2005. The New Jersey state trooper ran a records search and found an outstanding warrant for Florence’s arrest for an unpaid fine – a fine that he had, in fact, paid, and had the documentation to prove it. Florence was handcuffed and arrested anyway.

Even if the warrant had been valid, failure to pay a fine is not a crime in New Jersey.

Florence was held in two different jails for nearly a week. He was subjected to strip searches at each, even though there wasn’t any reason to suspect he was carrying contraband or guilty of a crime.

He was forced to stand naked in front of several guards and other prisoners and instructed to “Turn around. Squat and cough. Spread your cheeks.”

ROSEVILLE, CA – Multiple police agencies are in the area of Riverside Avenue in response to the shootings of an ICE agent and Roseville police officers Friday afternoon.

A city of Roseville spokesperson confirmed one officer shot is with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The officer was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

Witnesses said it appeared the ICE agent’s leg wound was accidentally self-inflicted but that was not confirmed by authorities.

ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice provided this statement:

A special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was shot Friday afternoon shortly after 3 p.m. while conducting a joint enforcement action with investigators from the police department in Roseville, Calif. The special agent was rushed to a local hospital where he is now reported to be stable and alert. Additional HSI agents are en route to the incident scene and will be assisting the Roseville Police Department with the ongoing investigation.

The nature of the enforcement wasn’t clear yet, although Roseville police tweeted they’ve been looking for the suspect for a week.

Police can take injured animals to their shooting range to be destroyed

September 13, 2013

In Merced, Calif., it is perfectly legal for a police officer to take a critically wounded animal to the police shooting range in order to “humanely destroy” it, reported Wednesday’s Merced Sun-Star.

Thanks to a decades old penal code, it is legal for officers to transport wounded animals for “humane” disposal at their shooting range.

Many animal lovers who are just learning about this practice are shocked that a police officer would transport a wounded animal to their shooting range, rather than to a veterinary clinic, for humane euthanasia or treatment.

According to Merced Police Chief Norm Andrade, the practice of transporting animals to the Gove Road shooting range is “rare,” and the officers dread having to do it.

One Merced resident, 21-year-old Kathleen Emerson, heard about the shootings firsthand from city police officer.

You know when you read something, but then it’s so ridiculous you have to do more research to find out whether it’s actually true?

Case in point, a story this week about a South Carolina city which has taken steps to “exile its homeless.”

The story suggested the city council in Columbia, S.C., had unanimously approved an “emergency homeless response” plan which will ban homeless people from the central business district and authorize police to arrest any homeless person found within the no-homeless zone.

A hotline will be established for residents and merchants to report the presence of a homeless person to police, who will be obliged to move them along.

Surely that can’t be true, I thought.

Sadly, it is.

The council of Columbia will partner with a local charity to operate a 24-hour emergency shelter on the outskirts of town, however it’s unlikely the 240-bed shelter will be sufficient for the city’s estimated 1,500 homeless people. And once someone enters the shelter, they are not allowed to leave the premises unless they set up an appointment to be driven out by a van.

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